carefully observe and remember the manner in which a man conducts
himself, so that you may take the measure of his value,--at any
rate in regard to yourself,--and regulate your bearing towards
him accordingly; never losing sight of the fact that character
is unalterable, and that to forget the bad features in a man's
disposition is like throwing away hard-won money. Thus you will
protect yourself against the results of unwise intimacy and foolish
friendship.
_Give way neither to love nor to hate_, is one-half of worldly wisdom:
_say nothing and believe nothing_, the other half. Truly, a world
where there is need of such rules as this and the following, is one
upon which a man may well turn his back.